As you all know, I am a beauty therapist, not a "computer nerd". However, because of my role in running the website, I've made it my job to understand how a lot of things in the "on-line world" works. I went to a seminar recently about how Facebook works. So in this article I will attempt to explain the new Facebook algorithm changes that were implemented in January this year in simple, easy, layman’s terms.

Many of you have Facebook business pages; and you may be interested in understanding the algorithm changes Facebook has made, and how it will affect your page?

One thing to understand, is that not ALL of the people and pages that have “liked" your business page will see your posts in their newsfeed. Mainly because it is nearly impossible for Facebook to do this. Imagine that you had 5000 friends - how on earth will you be able to see what everyone posts?

Facebook has over 1.4 billion users; and it has become the primary source of news consumption for the younger audiences. Facebook generates the majority of its revenue through advertising, which includes sponsored posts from brands that want to gain additional traffic. Ultimately, Facebook’s users control what they want to see on their News Feed by adding friends, “liking” business pages and engaging with the content.

It's important to note that Facebook has a "user experience" in mind every time they make a change to their algorithm. Without their users, Facebook would not exist. For Facebook their user is their number one priority.

Recently, Facebook Product Manager Max Eulenstein and User Experience Researcher Lauren Scissors announced that the News Feed has been updated to show you content that matters to you the most.

You will continue to see content from pages that you enjoy interacting with and "like".
This means that the content posted by the friends or businesses that you care about will get a higher priority in your news feed so that you are less likely to miss it.

Many Facebook users have complained about seeing stories about their friends "liking" or commenting on a post. So from now on, these posts will be placed lower in the News Feed or not at all. That is a good thing!

How will all of this affect your Facebook business page?
Facebook said that the distribution of your posts will vary, depending on your audience and posting activity. For example, your post reach and referral traffic may decline if you have limited interactions. Facebook encourages users to post content that their audience finds “meaningful” and choose to engage in.

Facebook now downgrades content with “click-bait” headlines.
Click-baiting is when someone posts a link with a headline that encourages you to click on the content without giving much information about what you will see. So, the words "CLICK HERE" is now frowned upon.

Facebook wants to make sure that you are not giving anything “false” to your followers. So the more you explain what the post is about, and keep the link within the photo, this is seen as good in Facebook's eyes and your posts will be shown more in the newsfeed. So make sure you:

have a title that explains what the article is about.

give an explanation that entices people to click, but it is a TRUE statement.

keep the link within the photo.

In my opinion, it is always better to delete the URL (website address) from the written part of the post once Facebook has pulled the article up. This has no effect on the algorithm; it just looks neater - but this is just my opinion.

Using the word “congratulations” in your posts is now a priority word.
If the word “congratulations” is used in the comments, your post gets a boost. This makes sense, as congratulations is the number one thing people say in response to huge events, like an engagement, a graduation, a new baby, or a new job. This is exactly the kind of stuff that Facebook wants to feature and share.

"Like-baiting" has now been given less weight in the algorithm.
What this means, is if you use the words “LIKE THIS,” “PLEASE SHARE” or “COMMENT BELOW”, the Facebook robots will pick up on this and NOT give your post as much weight in the algorithm; and therefore they will NOT show it in the newsfeed as much.

Facebook now favours videos.
Everyone has seen more videos in their newsfeed recently. This is due to a change in the algorithm.
Again, the calculation says “if you often click on videos; then we will show you more of them.” If you are not keen on videos, then simply don't click on them, and they will be diluted in your newsfeed.

How does Facebook know when you are trying to manipulate the system?
Facebook is extremely clever. They now can see how many people click on a link, and if they return to Facebook immediately then they know that the article was of little interest and assumed that it was a "click-baiting" exercise. They also take into consideration if people are commenting, liking and sharing your article.

The bottom line is that if you are producing and posting content on your Facebook page that is of interest to your audience, then you are onto a winner. If you try to manipulate the system and your audience, then you will be on an uphill battle for attention.

Stuck for good Facebook posts for your business page?
We understand you are busy people & don't always have the time or energy to create fabulous posts. So we try to post something every day that you are free to use as your own. All we ask is that you send us a "like" if you enjoy any of our posts - that helps us to understand which posts are popular so we can create more of what you like.

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Spa & Beauty NZ provides spa and beauty therapists with the knowledge to stay at the top of the industry. Whether you’re looking for information on new products through to starting your own business, you can find all the information and support you need to be successful in this industry.